This invention relates generally to product merchandising units for use in storing and displaying a wide variety of products to consumers and, more particularly, to a foldable board type structure adapted to be configured into a display stand for holding a conventional cooler chest or other product holding container, the present display stand in combination with a cooler chest or other container forming a point of sale product merchandising unit for holding and merchandising chilled products therefrom.
In the merchandising of single unit products such as bottled or canned soft drink and fruit juice type beverages and, particularly, those impulse items which are desired pre-chilled by customers and are normally sold in single units, there is always a need to have a product merchandising unit which will accommodate the storing and chilling of a reasonable number of such articles for easy access by prospective customers. This is particularly true in our fast-moving and highly mobile society where pre-chilled soft drink and fruit juice products are routinely purchased for consumption on the go. As a result, point-of-sale merchandising units are widely used because they offer greater flexibility in the choice of where such merchandising units may be located since the strategic location of such units can have a great impact on the volume of sales of the articles or products contained therein. Proper utilization of merchandising areas is extremely important to merchants who handle a wide variety of products, particularly, chilled products such as numerous bottled and canned soft drink and fruit juice products, since effective use of these areas promote sales.
It is therefore desirable to provide a point-of-sale merchandising unit which is quick and easy to assemble, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to move from one merchandising location to another location, and is relatively lightweight yet sturdy and reusable.
The present invention teaches the construction and use of a relatively simple and economical display stand which is easily assembled and is specifically designed to hold and support a conventional cooler chest for merchandising chilled products at any selected point-of-sale location within a merchandising environment. More particularly, the present display stand includes several flexible board type components which, when assembled, form an attractive display stand having an opening or cavity associated therewith adaptable for receiving and holding a conventional cooler chest therewithin. When positioned within the present display stand, the side walls of the cooler chest are substantially hidden and contained within the present display whereas only the hinged cooler top is visible to the consumer. The main component of the present display stand includes a substantially flat sheet of board material, preferably a corrugated flexible plastic board material, which is scored or otherwise bendable at various intermediate locations therealong such that the flat sheet can be formed into a substantially rectangular shell which is sized and dimensioned so as to substantially conform to and wraparound the rectangular or other shape of the particular cooler chest which will be positioned therewithin. The overall height of the formed cooler shell can vary depending upon the particular merchandising application, but should be of sufficient height such that the top portion of the cooler chest positioned therewithin will be at a convenient height for consumers to access the chilled products positioned within the cooler chest. When formed into the rectangular or other shaped shell, the opposed end portions of this main component are attached by any suitable attachment means. It is also anticipated that the opposed end portions of the cooler shell could be integrally formed together such that the cooler shell comprises a one-piece component foldable, bendable or otherwise formable into the appropriate configuration.
The present display stand also includes a second component which comprises a support structure positionable within the opening defined by the formed shell, the support structure being preferably attachable to the main component and being adaptable for supporting both a floor member and the cooler chest when such members are positioned thereon. The present support structure is likewise preferably comprised of a corrugated flexible plastic board material and may be unitary in structure, or such support structure may be comprised of a plurality of members such as two overlapping interconnecting board members. A floor member which comprises the third component of the present display stand is positioned and located on top of the support structure within the formed shell and is likewise adaptable for holding a cooler chest or other suitable product holding container. When the cooler chest is positioned on the floor member, the cooler chest is substantially housed within the shell and only the hinged top cover of the cooler is visible to the consumer.
The main sheet member forming the present display stand, when formed into a rectangular or other shaped shell, includes a pair of cutouts adjacent the top portion of two opposed side panels of the formed shell, the cutouts being adaptable to receive the handle members associated with the cooler chest such that the handle members extend through such cutouts and are accessible exterior of the present display stand. One side portion of the formed main component likewise includes a foldable door assembly which is positioned and located so as to receive therethrough an elongated extension of the floor member, such elongated extension being capable of being formed into a spout or trough for directing and channeling melted waste water accumulated within the cooler chest from the cooler to a suitable container for disposal thereof. The formed spout member is correspondingly positioned and located so as to coincide with the drain plug associated with the cooler chest.
The main sheet component may likewise include a plurality of optional flap members associated with one side panel of the formed shell, preferably the rear side panel thereof, the plurality of flap members being positionable to hold and support a pole sign when engaged therewith, the pole sign having graphics or other signage associated therewith for advertising the particular type of products being merchandised from the cooler chest.
In use with a conventional cooler chest, the present display stand provides simple and efficient means for effectively displaying and merchandising individual bottles or cans of soft drink and fruit juice products as well as other products to consumers. Because the present display stand is made of lightweight flexible board material, it can be easily moved from one location to another. This is accomplished by simply lifting up on the handle members associated with the cooler chest which extend through the cutouts associated with the formed wraparound shell, and thereafter transporting the entire display stand along with the cooler chest positioned therewithin to a new merchandising location. In addition, the front panel of the formed cooler shell may likewise include high visibility graphics for advertising the particular products positioned within the chest cooler.
In still another embodiment of the present display stand, the front panel of the present display stand may also include a pair of optional channel members which are positioned adjacent the peripheral edge portion of the front panel, the pair of channel members being positioned and located so as to engage the opposed side edge portions of a changeable graphic panel which can be slidably positioned therebetween thereby mounting the graphic panel in overlaying relationship to the outer surface of the front panel. This arrangement enables a merchant to easily and conveniently change the graphic panel associated with the front portion of the present display stand so as to be compatible with the particular brand of products being merchandised from the cooler chest. All of these features are particularly important to merchants because they enhance the accessibility to the customer of any product displayed therein and more effectively utilize available merchandising floor space. Because of these capabilities, the present merchandising unit is particularly advantageous for use in supermarkets, convenient stores, grocery outlets, drug and liquor stores, fast food outlets and a wide variety of other wholesale and retail stores.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an efficient and attractive product merchandising display unit adaptable for merchandising a wide variety of chilled products therefrom.
Another object is to provide a display stand which is relatively simple to assemble and inexpensive to manufacture.
Another object is to provide a display stand which is collapsible to a substantially flat folded configuration for ease of shipment and storage.
Another object is to provide a display stand which can be quickly and easily converted into a point-of-sale display unit.